Strong cast can't save this soul-draining cold case

Renee Zellweger stars as a social worker investigating an abusive family with the intention of saving the young daughter, but slowly comes to realize that she is the one in danger as as she continues digging into the situation. There might have been a fun and freaky avenue to explore if the movie had focused more on the parents, but that route gets bypassed for the demonic kid expressway, which has far too many signs pointing in the obvious direction of recent fare like 'Orphan.' Grade: D-.

Renee Zellweger stumbles in cliched romantic comedy

'New in Town' takes Renee Zellweger, a Miami corporate executive, from sunny beach runs and high-tower boardrooms to the chilly wilds of Minnesota to downsize a small plant. And you just know there's going to be something brewing between Lucy and labor union rep Harry Connick Jr. As the high-powered exec, Zellweger adopts a curiously awkward stance and gait intended to illustrate Lucy's stiffness that instead screams, "This is an acting tic." Grade D.